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Mamluk Carpet, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Place of origin: Cairo, Egypt (made)
Date: 16th century (made)
Museum number: T.26-1943
Gallery location: In Storage
Physical description
'Mamluk' carpet
Design: Red ground with a multi-side blue medallion
containing a ring of red papyrus design. Within the medallion, outlined in a
yellow
scallop, is a red
oval which contains a green octagon with an angular, 8-pointed interlaced star
in blue. Extending from the octagon are 8
stylized leaves each containing an elaborate knot and
separated by green triangles. Above and below the medallion is an oblong design
in
blue and green of an
arabesque with knots and leaf-like designs. These look out of keeping with the
rest of the design; they are curilinear and
resemble Italian embroidery. At each corner, an
octagon alligned to two triangles provides a corner frame to the medallion and
in each far
corner an
8-pointed star together with the arabesque oblong creates an upper and lower
band.
NB: light blue
ground with papyrus meander with red circles alternating with green cartouches.
At the sides the central cartouche becomes a
green circle. Within the cartouche is a blue hexagon.
The circles and cartouches are decorated with the papyrus design which appears
as
though it were a
supplementary border along either side of the cartouches. Along the lower edge
of the main border this effect is accentuated
because the ground is a darker shade of blue.
Inner and outer (outer missing top and bottom);
red ground with a yellow angular meander with corroded black blocks and yellow
sprigs.
Warp: wool;
possibly yellow with the ends dyed green for the fringe; S4Z (at least 4), 22-25
per inch,(88-100 per dm).
Weft: red wool, S-spun; 3 threads per shoot, 2 shoots
per row of knots, 11 knots per inch (44 per dm)
Pile: wool; red, yellow, white, green, light blue,
black. Asymmetrical, open to the left, tied round 2 warp threads. 121-138 knots
per sq. in
(1936-2200
per sq. dm).
Side
finish: one cord overcast with red wool
End finish: missing.
(Analysed through glass, 9.3.99)
Museum number
T.26-1943
URL
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O100822/carpet/
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